The Kershaw Launch 15 uses a side-button automatic mechanism — press the button on the spine of the handle and the blade deploys instantly, locking open via the liner lock through the KVT ball-bearing pivot. To close, disengage the liner lock with your thumb and fold the blade back into the handle. The Launch 15 is a folding automatic knife — the 3.5-inch CPM MagnaCut blackwash spear point pivots from the handle. Automatic knives are subject to the same state and federal restrictions as OTF automatics. See the legality FAQ below before purchasing.

Side-button automatic knives are subject to strict regulation under federal and state law. Under federal law, the interstate sale and transport of automatic knives is restricted. State laws vary significantly: some states permit automatic knives freely, some restrict blade length, some require permits or military or law enforcement status, and some prohibit them entirely. Knifeworks cannot provide legal advice. It is your responsibility to verify that automatic knives are legal in your state, county, and municipality before purchasing. Check your local laws at akti.org (American Knife and Tool Institute) or call us at 888-225-9775 — we will not ship to addresses in states where automatic knives are prohibited.

The 7950GRY and 7950DAM are both Launch 15 spear point automatics sharing the same 3.5-inch spear point geometry, KVT ball-bearing deployment, liner lock, and USA manufacture in Tualatin, Oregon. The differences are blade steel, blade finish, and handle material. The 7950GRY runs CPM MagnaCut blackwash on a gray aluminum handle with green Micarta inlays — benchmark stainless performance, no moisture maintenance, dimensional dark blackwash blade, organic green Micarta against cool gray aluminum. The 7950DAM runs Damascus acid etch on a black aluminum handle with tan Micarta — per-blade-unique pattern, warm Damascus etch tones tonally matched with tan Micarta, active moisture maintenance required. For no-maintenance benchmark stainless with organic green Micarta character, the 7950GRY. For premium per-blade-unique Damascus with warm tan Micarta tonal continuity, the 7950DAM.

Both green and tan Micarta are natural fiber composites produced by saturating natural fiber layers with phenolic resin under heat and pressure. The difference is tonal and aesthetic. Tan Micarta sits in a warm caramel and earth register — it reads as warm, vintage, and organic, and was chosen on the 7950DAM specifically because its warm tones mirror and extend the warm caramel of acid-etched Damascus. Green Micarta sits in a cooler, earthier green-grey register — it reads as organic and natural without being as warm as tan, and carries an outdoor and natural-environment character that differs from tan's vintage warmth. On the 7950GRY, green Micarta against cool gray aluminum creates an organic accent in a cooler register — natural material warmth against cool gray precision, rather than the warm-on-warm tonal harmony of tan Micarta with Damascus.

CPM MagnaCut was engineered by metallurgist Larrin Thomas and produced by Crucible Industries to outperform CPM-S35VN and M390 in edge retention, toughness, and corrosion resistance simultaneously. In a 3.5-inch spear point used for everyday carry, edge retention keeps the versatile tip and belly cutting cleanly through more daily tasks before maintenance. CPM MagnaCut's near-H1 corrosion resistance handles the blackwash blade's exposed areas at the bevel as the coating wears with sharpening — the steel's own resistance provides ongoing protection where the blackwash coating recedes. No active moisture maintenance required.

Kershaw offers a lifetime warranty against defects in materials and workmanship. If the knife fails due to a manufacturing defect, Kershaw will repair or replace it at no charge. Warranty service is handled directly by Kershaw — not Knifeworks. Submit a claim through Kershaw's website at kershawknives.com with a description of the issue and proof of purchase. Normal wear, blackwash finish wear, Micarta handle patina, handle anodize wear, sharpening, and damage from misuse are not covered.

The Kershaw Launch 15 7950GRY is manufactured in the USA at Kershaw's production facility in Tualatin, Oregon. Domestic manufacture is a consistent feature of the full Launch series. The 7950GRY carries the Kershaw Lifetime Warranty against defects in materials and workmanship.